The present invention relates generally to welding machines and, more particularly, to a welding machine that incorporates a rack assembly to support a gas cylinder.
There are a large number of welding processes available for use in industry. The most common welding processes include gas tungsten arc, oxygen gas welding, and shielded metal arc welding. The gas tungsten arc welding process is sometimes referred to as TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding. TIG welding is commonly performed by a TIG welding machine utilizing an inert gas and a tungsten electrode.
A typical portable TIG welding machine includes a wound transformer and stabilizer that together with various electrical components condition current to be suitable for welding. The wound transformer, stabilizer, and electrical components are usually assembled into an enclosure having wheels for portability. The running gear enables the TIG welding machine to be transported to different jobs.
TIG welding machines carry one or more large cylinders of inert arc-shielding gases on the running gear. The gas cylinders are very heavy, often weighing as much as 180 pounds. The gas cylinders are normally supported on a horizontal pan or rack on the back end of the welding machine. The rack is welded to the running gear and is located a few inches above the floor. In that manner, the welding machine and the gas cylinders are transportable together by the running gear.
However, TIG welding machines are not necessarily limited to welding operations requiring gas. That is, a TIG welder may double as a stick welding machine wherein it is not necessary to carry a gas cylinder along with the welding machine. Therefore, a disadvantage of the existing horizontal racks is that it requires a great deal of space even when a cylinder is not required. Further, in some applications where such a welding machine is used for TIG welding, an alternate gas supply may be provided within a facility. For example, in some factories, gas is supplied through a conduit to various manifolds to supply gas for such welding machines. In these instances, it is not necessary to carry a gas cylinder with the welding machine.
In view of the aforementioned, it would be desirable to improve the design of such a welding machine and the gas cylinder rack to reduce space requirements when the welding machine is used for purposes that do not require transportation of a gas cylinder.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing an improved rack assembly that is slidably coupled to the welding machine to allow retraction into a closed position.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention includes a welding machine having a housing, a welding power supply disposed within the housing and configured to deliver electrical power to weld metal. A rack assembly is provided that is retractably positioned within the housing to support a gas cylinder when in an extended position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a welding apparatus having a housing including a base and plurality of panels extending upwardly from the base and a top cover coupled to the plurality of panels to form an enclosure is provided. A welding power supply configured to deliver electrical power at levels sufficient to weld metal is disposed within the enclosure. The welding apparatus further includes a retractable cylinder support slidably coupled to the base of the housing and configured to support a gas cylinder when in a non-retracted position. The retractable cylinder support includes a base plate and a plurality of rails affixed to the base plate, wherein each of the plurality of rails includes a longitudinal slot configured to restrict extension of the rack assembly. The cylinder support further includes a pair of wheels coupled to an end of the base plate to support transportability of the welding apparatus.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing support for a gas cylinder of a transportable welding machine includes the step of providing a welding machine having a housing and an extendable rack assembly. The method further includes extending the rack assembly with respect to the housing to expose a portion of a base plate and placing a gas cylinder on the portion of the base plate.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a rack assembly kit to retrofit a welding apparatus to support a gas cylinder is provided. The rack assembly kit includes a cylinder support plate slidably extendable from a base of a welding apparatus and configured to support a gas cylinder when in an extended position and retract with respect to the base when in a retracted position. The kit further includes at least a pair of wheels affixed to the cylinder support plate to provide transportability of the gas cylinder.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings.